Mapping the Himalayas: The Great Survey and the Discovery of the World's Highest Peaks¶

Before anyone climbed the Himalayas, they had to be found. This guide tells the extraordinary story of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, the pandits (native spy-surveyors), the identification of Everest as the world's highest peak, and the early exploration expeditions that opened the Himalayas to the world.

Introduction¶

The Unknown Range¶

The Great Trigonometrical Survey¶

Measuring Mountains from the Plains¶

"Peak XV" — The Discovery of Everest¶

Andrew Waugh and the Naming Controversy¶

The Pandits — Spy Surveyors¶

Disguised as Pilgrims¶

Nain Singh Rawat¶

Prayer Beads as Survey Tools¶

Early Approaches¶

Political Barriers — Tibet, Nepal, and the Great Game¶

The 1921 Everest Reconnaissance¶

Karakoram Exploration¶

The Mystique of the Himalayas¶

Shangri-La and Western Imagination¶

Sacred Mountains in Hindu and Buddhist Tradition¶

Modern Exploration¶

Satellite Mapping and GPS¶

Peaks Still Unclimbed¶

Legacy of the Explorers¶